St. Louis Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko will not play for his native Russia at the upcoming world championships while rehabilitating his right thumb injury, General Manager Doug Armstrong said Thursday.

"He played with a cast on his hand in the playoffs and now we need to get that 100 percent healthy," Armstrong said of Tarasenko, who had four goals in six playoff games after scoring 21 goals and 43 points in 64 regular-season contests. "In three weeks to a month he'll have full strength."

Tarasenko missed 15 regular-season games while recovering from thumb surgery, then returned two weeks earlier than expected and was able to play in the playoffs.